AIMS of the Project FAO-COPEMED / Gigraltar'98

1.- General objectives

2.- Specific objectives

General objectives:

• To favour the exchange of expertise among scientists and technical staff of both research organisations.(IEO-INRH)
  
• To widen knowledge of the basic biological parameters of bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) and swordfish (Xiphias gladius).
  
• To complete a hydrographic description of the area covered by the project and of Mediterranean fisheries, including seasonality, areas, fleets involved, gear used and technology available.

Specific objectives:

The immediate objectives for 1998 are a) to make a hydrographic description of the area covered by the study and of Mediterranean fisheries, including information on seasonality, fishing gear used, fleets engaged, and technology available, b) to design a biological samplings schedule including pilot ports, c) to enable the elaboration of the ICCAT statistics (tasks I & II), namely: data on catch by species, fishing effort for each gear and space-time stratum, size distribution by species, gear and stratum

The short-term objectives of the project are to deepen the knowledge of the basic biological parameters of bluefin tuna and swordfish, such as sex ratio by size class, biometric relations and sexual maturity states. The project also aims to elaborate studies on growth. COPEMED staff is currently working at the ports and traps of the sampling network that has been established to obtain data on bluefin tuna and swordfish spinal radios.

The medium-term objective of the Project is to elaborate standardised abundance indices of bluefin tuna and swordfish to contribute to the continuous assessment effort made by ICCAT. For that purpose, time series of daily catches in traps and surface gear are being compiled.